1.2 – Dalek Empire I – The Human Factor

Enslaved by the Daleks, Susan Mendes and Kalendorf must find a way to to turn the tables on their captors. Outright rebellion will merely get them killed, so they must devise something more subtle.

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Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 8:37 PM

DALEK EMPIRE: THE HUMAN FACTOR

After a flawed but promising debut in “Invasion of the Daleks,” one would expect the second part of the first Dalek Empire series, “The Human Factor,” to kick the plot into high gear. Curiously, this doesn’t really happen: the story resumes some time after the conclusion of the first part, with the Daleks having extended their sphere of influence into the Milky Way. The Daleks have agreed to Suz’s demands, allowing their slave workers food and rest in exchange for their efficient work, and Suz is now being flown around the galaxy, speaking to the slaves as their “Angel of Mercy.” Writer-director Nicholas Briggs seems to be developing this story to its natural conclusion, with Suz (and Kalendorf) laying the groundwork for an eventual rebellion as she travels. But Suz’s work with the Daleks has tragic consequences: when a rebel group gets ahead of itself, Suz is forced to take decisive action to stop them — and this marks a truly surprising moment in the play. It’s an old question, to be sure — to defeat the Daleks, must we become like them? — but it’s shocking nonetheless to hear it playing out.

The problem, though, with “The Human Factor” is that nothing much happens and that it doesn’t have much to say. Alby continues his quest to reunite with Suz, and travels with Pellan from harrowing situation to harrowing situation in the process, but ultimately his entire plot seems to be treading water until the (admittedly gripping) final cliffhanger. The story doesn’t seem to know what it wants to do with Suz — in one scene, she’ll be emotionally drained and ready to die, and minutes later she’ll be energized, giving orders, and making tough decisions. The first story drew parallels between humane treatment, hope, and energy, but here it just comes across as random. Ultimately, there are two great scenes — Suz “handling” the open rebellion and the cliffhanger — these along with the ongoing mystery over the Dalek plot keep the listener interested, but the feel of treading water pervades the story.

The acting is clearly improved over the first part, with Sarah Mowat free of the “dramatic speech” scenes which hampered her performance in the last play and able to deliver some convincing emotional material. Mark McDonnell injects some healthy desperation into his performance — he and John Wadmore spark off one another much better than in the first part, and their scenes on Guria after the crash are gripping. Gareth Thomas continues to rest somewhat in the background, with his Kalendorf serving as a moral compass for Suz. Joyce Gibbs’ narration continues to excel, though the “shock” revelation of her identity was never anything but predictable. Lastly, Adrian Lloyd-James and Georgina Carter are amusing enough as the Highness/Daughter pairing — but their scenes are strangely out of place in a series which has, thus far, adopted a very grim tone.

Briggs’ sound design is first-rate. His space battles are properly confusing and violent, the Garazone sound design (repeated from “Sword of Orion”) is suitably alien, and the environment on Guria is impressively atmospheric. The score improves as well, though it’s a bit overused — and I know I complained about the theme last time, but the attempt at a Doctor Who-esque “crash” out of the cliffhanger just doesn’t work with it. Individual scenes are directed with appropriate urgency, and the actors’ improvements are notable.

Overall, “The Human Factor” improves in many ways over “Invasion of the Daleks,” but ultimately treads water by not adding much to the plot, the themes, or the characterizations. While there’s certainly nothing poor about it, and a few enthralling scenes nudge it just above average, “The Human Factor” gives the impression of a “filler” episode near the middle of a 22-episode TV season, and not of a miniseries at the halfway point. A bit disappointing, then, but there’s enough here to prompt advancement to part three.